It was actually once suggested to me to stop using my real name in order to be less trackable. I opted to keep using it because I’m not very worried about that. Personally I care more about making my observations more scientifically useful than about hiding, so I also don’t obscure locations. But some people use pseudonyms and obscure locations to make themselves as invisible as possible, and I respect that.
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Is it weird that I care more about data than personal life? Like I respect that there is a real person with a real life behind every observation, but I am much more interested in what they are observing, and thats the data I look to see. I view observations here, in a way similar to any blinded research where a participant is reduced to a number/point. The specific person who observed that bird at that place is less meaningful than the fact that bird was observed at that place.
But I have also spent insane amounts of times on internet forums, I have people I have talked to for over a decade, and still have no idea what their real name is. Their real name, hold no value to me, compared to the value I get from the actual interactions. When setting this account up, I probably would have used one of my more common internet usernames, but I didnt notice when making the account, but I am also okay with being known.
Sometimes when choosing to agree with obs, I will give more weighting in agreeing if I know they are X person, from X institute and have X qualifications and experience in that genera. But thats possibly the only time I can think of where a persons name may matter, but even then some of my most trusted IDers still have personalsed usernames.
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If I have … a beetle, something or other pea family, or a bit of flotsam
I appreciate the aide memoire these (real names and credentials on profile) scientists choose to use on iNet.
Thanks to Beetle Dude, Mr Fab and Sea Stung.
I also appreciate the visual help when iNatters use their favourite taxon as a thumbnail image, instead of yet another homo sap. Who shall I ask about this ant?
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I tried to do that but my name is so common I couldn’t find any iterations that were available. Anyone who wanted to contact me still could with the name I picked.
Maybe I should just change my name! Fun!
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I appreciate that for some, there is a genuine need to maintain privacy.
For those who say that real names are of no importance, I’ll just offer one counter argument:
I help out with a project that gathers data from multiple sources. For better or worse, there are iNat users who will post their observations on iNat, as well as on other citizen science platforms. When all those data sources funnel into our project, it can result in duplicated observations. Even with real names, sorting out duplicates is a tough job (people often use slightly different lat/long on different platforms). Without real names, it’s impossible.
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Yeah but it can be embarrassing putting your real name or like 
you know people wanting to keep it private to friends and close people
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Absolutely this!!
I feel safe enough at the moment that I use my real name in my profile, but there have been times in my life where I have had stalkers, and I would have been genuinely afraid they would track me down through it. Especially since my observations are all geotagged and it’s very easy to see where my favorite hiking trails are. Where I’m likely to be alone, isolated, and probably distracted by a bird.
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I don’t have anyone after me, but I tend to obscure locations close to where I live or visit often. Random travel sightings are not obscured, but I never post them before I’m back home. The pseudonym isn’t much protection - by now that should be trivial to crack if someone so desired.
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It hardly helps imo, having enough obscured observations creates a rectangle around your home, so you can be easily tracked, just check time a user regulary go out and have a walk in that rectangle, they’ll be found. All it creates is a mesh of observations in wrong spots for other friendly users to see, not real protection.
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What? Why? Is the user actually in the center of the rectangle or circle ?
No, I didn’t mean in the centre itself, just inside borders.
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20km x20km is a lot of walking to find someone.
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Yes, huge if you are in the city. But not if it is a remote location where there are only so many roads in and out, and/or if the terrain is complex.
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I actually like that the Display Name field is lowkey enough so that I kind of forgot about it. After all this time and thanks to this thread, I have just entered my Display Name. Thanks for the clue folks!
(edit: Since I’m uncloaking myself, if anyone is from eyewire.org hi yes I’m that person, one of the “coauthors” on 2 papers published under my Display Name. The 21st century is cool.)
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your link to your iNat profile is broken - I get a mole
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Ebird and facebook certainly do not insist on real names at least as far as what’s visible to the public. All that is required is a verifiable email address. Ebird even has an anonymous birder option. As noble as the citizen science projects may be, the fact is it’s still social media and there are dangers with having your name and location data out there forever. Especially for some folks like women and anyone in a marginalized group.
I also know that inat and ebird data are anonymized anyway when it goes to research groups because I have a family member that receives that data.
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No, it’s because some people entered their username on iNaturalist and they put it in themselves which is why the URL is https://www.inaturalist.org/people/https://www.inaturalist.org/people/1020162. Here is the right URL: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/1020162
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also there are children who use this site, with guidance from parents/guardians, and it is not appropriate for them to post their real names in most cases.
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Welcome to the forums
fixed, thanks for heads up!
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